Divorced? Get a job! Judges changing focus when couples split, says family law specialist

People going through divorce proceedings are increasingly being told to support themselves instead of relying on alimony and maintenance payments to fund their lifestyle.

Liz Cowell, an expert in family law at Slater and Gordon, told Julia Hartley-Brewer that a landmark 2015 case concerning Tracey Wright and her millionaire horse-surgeon husband Ian Wright has set a precedent that is increasingly being applied in divorce cases.

Mr Wright claimed it was unfair that he was expected to support his ex-wife indefinitely, even into retirement, while she "made no effort whatsoever to seek work".

"Our law is discretionary," Cowell said. "What the Wright case has shown is that judges are becoming less sympathetic.

"The other thing we forget is that 40% of couples are not married, and then there is no entitlement whatsoever to maintenance."